Technology has made it possible for the East and West to work together even without leaving their own time zone. More and more foreigners are reaching quality Filipino workers to work for them at reasonable prices. So better opportunities are opening each day for Filipinos giving them the chance to work for foreign employers without having to leave their loved ones (like many overseas Filipino Workers or OFW’s).

But recently, I see many ads looking for Filipino workers who are efficient, reliable, and who will remain loyal to their employers. It made me realized that some workers do accept a job only to quit later on. What could be some of the possible reasons behind this? As a freelance writer, I’ve dealt with many different clients and writers already, and here are some of the things I learned that hopefully would help foreign clients when they work with Filipinos.

Over the past few months, more and more people have found that the Philippines is one of the best places to find online workers to outsource work to.  In fact, EasyOutsource is built entirely on that premise. There are what you might call outsourcing “advocates” who promote outsourcing to expand one’s online business and grow it to its fullest potential and one thing they are consistent about is that the Philippines is a goldmine of skilled online workers.

A lot of these advocates have online courses that they sell subscriptions for.  These people are considered a success in online marketing and already have a solid following, so selling their outsourcing courses wouldn’t be a problem.  But, truth be told, there are some people who are just plainly enthusiastic about outsourcing to the Philippines.  They are not selling any courses or earning a lot from the niche, save maybe for affiliate links to the above-mentioned courses.  They simply believe that the Philippines has a lot of outsourcing potential.

One such person [...] Continue reading

You have heard time and again that the best country to outsource work to is the Philippines.  But, do you know the sites where you can hire Filipino online freelancers?

Here is a list of sites where you can hire Filipino contractors:

1. EasyOutsource.com – EasyOutsource is one of the best place to hire Filipino online freelancers.  Our site has an all-Filipino worker line up.  The site is growing rapidly.  The site is very easy to use and have a lot of features that are useful to a job site.  One of these features is an internal messaging system that employers and workers can use to communicate with each other.  We are constantly adding new features and improvements to the site to make it even better and easier to use.  The best part is, using the site is free for both employers and workers!  There are no registration fees involved.  You don’t have to pay anything to post jobs, browse profiles, browse job posts, and apply for jobs.  Isn’t that

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You have heard us recommend that you outsource your work to the Philippines.  So, why the Philippines and why Filipinos?

I may not be the best person to write about this.  No wait, on second thought, I think I am.  Shameless promotion of my country, race, and trade aside, I seriously believe that the Philippines is the best country you can outsource your work to.  And why do I think that?  Let me count the ways…

1. Filipinos are the best English-speakers in Southeast Asia – I even daresay that Filipinos are the best English-speakers in Asia.  The Philippines was an American-administered territory from 1898 until 1946 and was the site of American air and naval installations until 1991.  Because of this, the country is heavily influenced by the American culture and language.  English is the primary language of instruction in schools.  It is not difficult to find a Filipino that speaks very good English with little to no trace of a native accent.
2. Most Filipinos are well-educated – College

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If you’re a foreign employer and have outsourced your work to a Filipino freelancer, you might want to know what are the non-working holidays in the Philippines.  This is not to say that you must necessarily follow these holidays and give your employees time off during these days, but, if and when your employee asks for time off during these times, you won’t be caught off guard.

So, here is a list of Philippine Holidays and the dates they fall on:

A. Regular Holidays

New Year’s Day - January 1

Holy Week – Since the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, majority of Filipinos observe this holiday.  It starts with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday.  Of the entire week, only Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are non-working holidays.  The date for this Catholic holiday is not fixed.  It usually falls between the third week of March to the second week of April.  The exact date is different every year and is dictated by the [...] Continue reading

On my previous post, I discussed the average salaries of traditional jobs in the Philippines.  I also mentioned on that post that those figures don’t include other benefits that companies offer on top of the regular salaries employees receive.

So what are the benefits that are required by the Philippine government to be given to working Filipinos?  To give a short run down, the following are government-mandated benefits:  Social Security System (SSS) contributions, Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth) contributions, Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-ibig Fund) contributions, 13th month pay, service incentive leave, meal and rest periods, overtime pay, special holiday/rest day rates, and night shift differentials.  Other more common benefits that are not mandated but are given by a lot of companies are: holiday bonus, mid-year bonus, and paid holiday and vacation leaves.

• Social Security Sytem (SSS) – The Social Security System was created by the Philippine government.  All employees hired by private companies are required to become an SSS member (Republic Act No. 8282).  This system aims to protect

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The Philippines is a gold mine of professionals.  Every year, Philippine colleges across the nation graduate 380,000 students across different courses and fields of study.  Students choose their field of study based on their interest, intellect, their parent’s ability to afford the tuition, and more than anything else, how much they expect to earn once they enter the work force.

One of the more common courses that most Filipino students take up have to do with computers and information technology.  In this field, they have a higher chance of getting a job than any other course of study.  So, you might be wondering, how much does a computer professional earn in the Philippines?

According to ZDNet Asia’s Philippine IT Salary and Skills Report 2008, the following table shows the average annual salary of IT professionals in the Philippines.

Aside from IT professionals, you might also be interested to learn about average salaries for other traditional jobs that are comparable to more common jobs being outsourced on the internet nowadays. [...] Continue reading

Most employers, especially those new to outsourcing, have this very important question foremost in their minds:  “What is the fair rate that I should give my Filipino provider(s)?”

An online freelancer’s rate is determined by a lot of different factors, the most important being: the cost of living in their country, the skills and abilities of the said freelancer, and whether you are hiring for a full time position or a project-based endeavor.

It is a no-brainer that the cost of living in the Philippines is much lower than that of first-world countries like the US and the UK.  Consequently, you could get the same quality of work, if not better, from a Filipino provider for a much lower rate than what you would expect to pay providers in your own country.  However, contrary to what some people believe, paying a Filipino freelancer $200/month for 40 hours of highly-specialized work per week is hardly enough.  Between spending for food, rent, utilities, and expenses necessary for online work – like PC [...] Continue reading

The Philippines is a developing country in Southeast Asia.  It is home to 93 million Filipinos spread across 116,000 square miles of land. For comparison, the US has about 3.5 million square miles. The Philippines is about the same total size as Arizona. Every year, about 380,000 Filipinos graduate from college across all professions.  Since the English language is primarily taught in schools in the Philippines since pre-school, Filipino professionals are good candidates to work for foreign companies, call centers, BPOs, and outsourcing.

More than the English speaking skills of Filipinos, a lot of foreign investors outsource jobs to our country because the labor here is a lot cheaper than in their own country.  They get the same quality of work for a much cheaper rate.

We all know that what governs employee rates/salaries is the cost of living in a particular country.  In a country where the cost of living is high, companies need to pay employees more in order for them to live comfortably with their incomes.  In [...] Continue reading

The Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. The Philippines was a former colony of Spain and the United States until it achieved independence in 1946. It is the world’s 12th most populous country, with an estimated population of about 92 million people. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands, making it one of the most diverse countries in the world.

The Philippines’ edge among other Asian outsourcing locations is their skilled, well educated, computer literate and highly trainable manpower. The country also has good telecommunications infrastructure and most importantly, its labor cost is equivalent to only 10%-20% of equivalent jobs in the US, which guarantees huge savings for your company.  According to the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Filipino and English are the official languages in the Philippines. Because English is taught in all schools in the country, and because most private schools use English as the main language of instruction, many Filipinos are completely fluent in English. And because most Filipinos speak [...] Continue reading